Toward an Understanding of Language: Charles Carpenter Fries in Perspective

Charles C. Fries (1887-1967) was a major figure in American linguistics and language education during the first half of the 20th century. Theoretical innovation and practical implementation were important threads that ran throughout his work. Fries believed that the attempt to deal with practical problems was a vital part of developing linguistic theory. He spent most of his effort exploring grammar as a tool for communicating meaning. Charles C. Fries was quite influential in the development of linguistics in the United States, and yet in some ways remained outside of the mainstream of the linguistics he helped to develop. The contributors to this volume were asked to present and evaluate some aspect of Fries' work and to show how similar ideas are being used today.